Headwear with Storage for Small Items and Method of Manufacturing the Same

ABSTRACT

Headwear in the nature of hats and caps may be made with openings through an outside surface, near a lower edge of the rim. These openings admit small items through the crown of the hat and allow the items to rest in a crease between the crown material and a headband inside the hat. This provides convenient storage in the hat without allowing the stored items to come into contact with the wearer&#39;s hair or head. The simple structure, where items are in direct contact with both the inner surface of the crown material and the outer surface of the headband, facilitate efficient manufacturing (methods of which are also described and claimed).

CONTINUITY AND CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This is an original U.S. patent application.

FIELD

The invention relates to garments and construction methods. More specifically, the invention relates to items of headwear having features suitable for storing for small items therein, and methods of manufacturing such headwear.

BACKGROUND

Many people have developed the habit of keeping small items close at hand by tucking them behind an ear or into bound locks of hair. For example, cigarettes, pencils and combs often reside there. Garments and accessories also provide places to carry small items, with varying degrees of ease of access. Pockets, pouches, loops and the like are common and well-known.

Golfers have a particular need to carry an assortment of small objects (e.g. tees, ball markers and so forth), but the pockets and bags used to date tend to collect debris from the objects during use. Furthermore, when an assortment of items are stored in a single location, it can be difficult to locate a particular desired one. A new garment offering convenient, easily-cleaned storage for these items, that is also efficient and economical to manufacture, may be of significant value in this field.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the invention are garments suitable for wearing on the head, in the nature of hats, caps, headbands, visors and the like. These garments (generally “hats”) comprise utility slots formed in the outer crown material, opening onto an area between the inner surface of the crown and the outer surface of a headband lying inside the crown. These utility slots admit and retain small, generally cylindrical objects.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a view of an embodiment of the invention in a typical use condition.

FIG. 2 shows the embodiment without the stored item.

FIG. 3 is a partial cutaway view of an embodiment illustrating some internal structure.

FIG. 4 is a partial cutaway view from a different perspective, illustrating some internal structure.

FIG. 5 is a partial cutaway view from a lower perspective, illustrating additional portions of an embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an upper perspective view, illustrating symmetrical characteristics of some embodiments.

FIGS. 7-9 show how a portion of an embodiment may be manipulated during manufacturing.

FIG. 10 is another cutaway view of an embodiment identifying other features.

FIG. 11 shows a number of opening shapes that may be employed in an embodiment.

FIG. 12 outlines a manufacturing process to produce an embodiment efficiently.

FIG. 13 shows sample pattern pieces that may be assembled into an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hats comprising utility slots according to an embodiment of the invention allow appropriately-sized objects to “nestle or rest” securely, inconspicuously and discreetly, within the confines of a void between the material that makes up the crown of the hat, and a hat band that circles the inner portion of the hat. The hat band is the part of the hat that most firmly contacts the wearer's hair and head. The openings provide easy access to the objects, which can be inserted and removed at will. Unexpectedly, the structure of an embodiment is useful for limiting debris in pants pockets (which is where the objects are customarily carried).

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary cap 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. A typical cap comprises a roughly hemispherical crown 110 attached to a bill or brim 120. The crown is often made from a plurality of roughly triangular gores or panels, such as front panel 130, side panel 140 and back panel 150. A button or stud 160 is often affixed at the apex of the crown.

An embodiment provides features allowing the storage of small items; an example shown here is a golf tee 170. More generally, the features facilitate the storage of items that are generally cylindrical, smaller than about 20 mm diameter, and shorter than about 100 mm. The items are held near the forehead or temple of a person wearing the headwear.

FIG. 2 shows the same cap where the golf tee has been removed to show opening 270, which is the principal feature of an embodiment that is visible from the exterior of the headwear. Openings may be provided on both the left and right sides of the hat, and the location may be further forward (closer to the forehead) or further aft (closer to the ear). Multiple openings (272, 274) may be provided at intervals around the lower edge of the crown 280. As known in the prior art, a cap such as this may include vent openings through the crown (e.g. 290). These vent openings may be similar in appearance and construction to the openings around the lower edge of the crown, but they are functionally different and not interchangeable.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment with a side panel removed, exposing some interior structure of the cap. The upper and outer surface (the “crown”) 310 may be a single ply of fabric or similar textile, or a laminate of multiple plies. The crown may be made up of several roughly triangular gussets, as shown in these embodiments; or panels of different shapes may be sewn together to produce the roughly hemispherical crown shape. In some embodiments, the crown may be woven or formed as a single piece.

Inside the cap, a headband 320 extends around the lower circumference of the hemispherical crown. The headband is often comprised of multiple plies of fabric or other material to provide padding and sweat absorption. The size of the headgear can often be adjusted by a belt 330 or similar structure at the rear. Alternatively, some or all of the headband may be made of an elastic material that is stretched to fit on the wearer's head. The headband is joined to the crown by a seam which proceeds around some or all of the lower edge of the crown material. The headband is folded back to cover the seam, as shown at 340. The headband is often folded out for sewing, then folded into the hat to achieve the configuration shown here. A narrower slot 370 is shown in the front panel of this embodiment, and an item inserted therethrough will come to rest in a void between the inner surface of the crown and the outer surface of the headband.

FIG. 4 shows another view of an embodiment of the inventive cap. From this perspective, one can see that an item, such as a golf tee 470, that is passed through the slot in the front part of the crown, rests between the inner surface of the crown 403 and the outer surface of the headband 423. Thus, the item does not come in contact with the wearer's hair or head. In addition, debris that may be present on the item when it is inserted through the slot tends to be wiped off during insertion, and any remaining debris will be kept away from the wearer's hair and contained in the void between the inner surface of the crown 403 and the outer surface of the headband 423. Debris that collects in this location can be removed and discarded by flipping the hat band out and brushing or washing.

FIG. 5 shows a lower view of the same cap as previous figures. The seam between the lower edge of the crown structure and the headband encircles most of the crown's opening, 510.

FIG. 6 shows a cap from above. This view shows the openings through the crown at both temples 671, 672. The front panel of the crown subtends an angle 630 of slightly more than 90°, so its lower edge (adjacent the wearer's forehead) is wider than the brim of the cap. However, a wider brim, or a narrower front panel angle, may place the front-to-side panel seams either ahead of, at, or behind the openings. In some embodiments, the front panel may be divided in two, with a seam separating the right and left halves of the crown.

It is preferred that the openings 671, 672 pass through the crown surface at a location other than a seam between two crown panels—this makes the hat easier to manufacture. In any event, the openings are preferably at about the location of the wearer's temples (at an angular position around the circumference of the crown rim indicated as 640), and above the lower edge of the crown and band by about half the height of the band. Thus, items inserted through the opening rest in the void between the band and the crown inner surface, separated from the wearer's head by the band thickness.

FIG. 7 shows a cross-section of a portion of the crown material, 700, which has an inner surface 703 and an outer surface 705. A band portion 710 may be formed as a U-shaped fold of material. An absorbent or padded core 720 may be placed inside the fold. The band 710 is adjacent the outer face 705 of the crown. The band and crown are joined together by sewing at 730.

Next, the band 710 is flipped around the sewn seam as shown by FIG. 8 , arrow 800, so that the band 710 comes to rest adjacent the inner surface 703 of the crown, as shown in FIG. 9 . The seam at 930 extends around the lower portion or rim of the crown hemisphere, as shown in FIG. 5, 510 . Area 940, shown in dashed lines, is a void where objects inserted through an opening in the crown material rest, between the inner surface of the crown and the outer surface of band. Note that area 940 is not fully enclosed, and the area can even be exposed by flipping the band out again. This is helpful to remove debris that may be transferred from an item inserted into the void—for example, sand or dirt adhering to a golf tee. Because the opening through the crown 970 is located above the lower edge of the crown by about half the height of the band, an object inserted through the opening rests in the void or crease between the crown and the hat band, without touching the wearer's head.

FIG. 10 shows another cross-section of a portion of an embodiment of the invention. The illustration includes two crown panels 1010 and 1020; the thickness of the sectioned crown panel 1010 is indicated at 1030. A conventional hat or cap that is similar to an embodiment is often provided with ventilation holes 1015 and 1025, placed in the crown panels well above the interior band 1040, nearer to the top central button 1050. Short broken lines 1060 indicate where stitching may be placed along the lower edge of the crown. Long broken lines 1070 show the upper edge of interior band 1040, behind the crown panels 1010 and 1020. Bold indicating line 1080 shows the location of the void between the band and the inside of the crown panels, where objects inserted through one of the inventive openings in the crown panel rest.

FIG. 11 shows a variety of shapes that may be used for the openings in the crown panels. Each of the shapes is shown with short perpendicular lines around the opening. These lines represent stitching or embroidery which is used to prevent the crown material from fraying around the opening. Typically, such openings are formed by sewing the reinforcing stitching onto the panel material and then cutting out the material inside the opening. Cutting may be accomplished with a punch or laser. In some embodiments, the openings are formed through a process that seals the panel material against fraying, so an embroidered edge is unnecessary. For example, a laser process may melt fibers of a synthetic material together during cutting, so the edges of the opening are secured.

A plain slit 1100 may be formed similarly to a buttonhole in a shirt—no material need be removed from the crown panel (despite the appearance of 1100 that a thin lenticular piece of material has been cut out). Openings may be simple circles, 1110. Headwear according to an embodiment often comprises vent holes placed elsewhere in the crown panels, and these are commonly circular.

To better accommodate the items stored in an embodiment, the openings may be shaped like ovals, 1120, or like round-ended slots, 1130. Other shapes, such as a rectangle with rounded corners, 1140, or regular polygons (rectangle 1150, triangle 1160, hexagon 1170) may be used. In other embodiments, irregular polygons such as 1180 & 1190 may be selected for performance or stylistic reasons. It is appreciated that the user will generally be unable to see the opening while inserting an object, so the shape and orientation of the opening is important to assure that the headwear storage can be accessed without excessive fumbling. In a preferred embodiment, a kidney shape 1199 has been found to perform well.

FIG. 12 outlines a manufacturing method to produce articles of headwear according to an embodiment of the invention. First, a material, such as a textile or a laminate of textile layers, is cut to form the pieces or panels that will be assembled into the crown of the hat (1200). An example set of such panels is shown in FIG. 13 : left and right front panels 1310 & 1315; left and right side panels 1320 & 1325; and left and right rear panels 1330 & 1335. The rear panels depicted here have arcs cut away from one corner, 1340. This will form a semicircular cutout at the rear of the hat to accommodate a range of size adjustment. Dashed lines inset from a panel boundary (e.g. 1350) show where seams will be formed to join the pieces together.

Next, openings are cut in the panel(s) that will end up near the wearer's forehead or temples in the finished article (1210). The openings may be formed by embroidering around the opening shape, often with a temporary backing applied to help the crown material support the dense embroidery thread (1213), thus forming an anti-fray border around the opening. Then, the crown material inside the anti-fray border is cut away (1215). Alternatively, a thermal cutting process such as a laser cutter may be used to form the openings and seal the severed edges of the crown fabric against fraying. Cutting the inventive openings (at locations near the lower edge of the crown in the finished article) is preferably done while the textile material is still flat, i.e., prior to assembly into the roughly hemispherical crown. In an embodiment provided with vent openings in the crown (as shown in FIG. 10 , and the pattern pieces of FIG. 13 ), it is preferred that the vent openings and the inventive openings are formed contemporaneously (i.e., at the same stage of the manufacturing process, rather than interrupted by an operation unrelated to the forming of the openings). Further, vent and inventive openings are preferably formed in the same way. The openings formed in this operation are shown in FIG. 13 : one vent opening is identified at 1360 (each crown panel has a similar vent). The inventive openings are identified at 1370 and 1375. Note that they lie near the portion of the left and right side panels 1320 & 1325 that will be at the lower edge or rim of the crown hemisphere—the centers of these openings 1380 are displaced from the lower edge by about half the width of the band 1385.

Now, the crown panels are assembled (1220), for example by sewing, to produce the semi-hemispherical crown of the headwear. Other methods of joining the panels may be used as well. For example, ultrasonic or heat welding may be suitable for certain textiles.

One or more layers are assembled to form the hat band (1230; FIG. 13, 1390 ), and the band is sewn to the crown (1240). If the headwear is to have a visor (FIG. 13, 1395 ), bill, or other features (e.g. ear flaps), these may be assembled at the same time. An apex button or stud 1399 may be added to complete the hat.

The applications of the present invention have been described largely by reference to specific examples and in terms of particular arrangements of structures and assemblies. However, those of skill in the art will recognize that headwear having the storage characteristics of an embodiment can also be made from materials other than those disclosed here, or by different methods. Such variations in materials and methods are understood to be captured according to the following claims. 

I claim:
 1. A method for manufacturing headwear having storage for small items, comprising: cutting a plurality of pattern pieces from a crown textile material; cutting at least two storage openings through at least one pattern piece of the plurality of pattern pieces; assembling the plurality of pattern pieces into a roughly hemispherical crown; forming a laminate belt; and attaching the laminate belt to a rim of the roughly hemispherical crown at a seam, wherein the at least two storage openings are spaced apart from the seam by about half of a width of the laminate belt, and located near a temple or forehead of a wearer of the headwear having storage for small items.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: cutting vent openings through at least two pattern pieces of the plurality of pattern pieces, said vent openings located above the laminate belt so that the vent openings expose the head of the wearer of the headwear.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein cutting the at least two storage openings and cutting the vent openings are performed in an uninterrupted manufacturing phase.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein cutting the plurality of storage openings comprises: supporting the crown textile material with a reinforcing backing; embroidering around a shape of a storage opening to produce an anti-fray border; and removing the crown textile material within the anti-fray border.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the cutting storage openings operation precedes the assembling operation.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein a shape of the at least two storage openings is chosen from a group consisting of a slit, a circle, an oval, and a slot.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein a shape of the at least two storage openings is a kidney shape or an irregular polygon shape.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: attaching a brim near the seam.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: securing a button to an apex of the roughly hemispherical crown where the plurality of pattern pieces come together.
 10. An article of headwear comprising: a roughly hemispherical crown having an outer surface, an inner surface and a rim; a band secured to the roughly hemispherical crown around a portion of a circumference of the rim; an opening formed through the roughly hemispherical crown, said opening spaced apart from the rim by about half a width of the band and located near a temple of a person while the person is wearing the headwear; wherein the opening connects an area outside the outer surface to an area between the inner surface and the band, wherein an object inserted through the opening comes into direct contact with both the inner surface and the band, and wherein the band can be flipped out of the roughly hemispherical crown to clean the area between the inner surface and the band.
 11. The article of headwear of claim 10 wherein the opening is a first opening, the article further comprising: a second opening formed symmetrically opposite the first opening across a plane dividing a left half of the article from a right half of the article.
 12. The article of headwear of claim 10 wherein the roughly hemispherical crown is formed from a plurality of roughly triangular gores sewn together.
 13. The article of headwear of claim 10, further comprising: a bill attached to a front of the roughly hemispherical crown near the rim.
 14. The article of headwear of claim 10, wherein an anti-fray border surrounds the opening.
 15. The article of headwear of claim 10 wherein a shape of the opening is chosen from the group consisting of a slit, a slot, an irregular polygon, or a kidney shape.
 16. A golf cap comprising: five roughly triangular textile gores sewn together to form a roughly hemispherical crown having an inner surface, an outer surface and a rim; a padded band attached to the roughly hemispherical crown around a portion of a circumference of the rim; a button secured at an apex of the roughly hemispherical crown where the five roughly triangular textile gores come together; a flat bill extending from a front portion of the roughly hemispherical crown; a plurality of vent openings formed through some of the roughly triangular textile gores, said vent openings exposing a head of a wearer; and two storage openings formed through at least one of the roughly triangular textile gores, said storage openings placed symmetrically around the rim, spaced apart from the rim by about half of a width of the padded band, located around the circumference of the rim by an angle so that the storage openings are near a temple of the wearer, and sized to accept and securely hold a golf tee inserted therethrough, wherein the golf tee inserted through a storage opening rests in a crease between an outer surface of the padded band and the inner surface of the roughly hemispherical crown, directly contacting the outer surface of the padded band and the inner surface of the roughly hemispherical crown and without contacting the head of the wearer. 